Australian Medical Association

THE AMA is firmly engaged in the health reform process, and most AMA members are enthusiastic about the vision for shared electronic health records. They know that, with the right system, they can improve the patient healthcare experience. But as things stand with the Government's personally controlled electronic health records scheme, GPs are being asked to provide a new service for free. Doctors need greater support than what is on offer if the PCEHR is going to truly work.

AMA Vice President Prof Geoff Dobb speaks to the AMSA Leadership Development Seminar about the future of leadership in health reform. He discusses ways medical students can participate in the AMA, health reform, medical workforce training, working abroad, national consistency in medical training and current AMA projects.

AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton addresses the AMA Parliamentary Dinner. He reviews the Government's National Health Reform Agreement, discusses the AMAs health reform plan, congratulates the Government on plain packaging legislation, and raises the health of asylum seekers.

AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton addresses the National Press Club for his first official speech as AMA President. Dr Hambleton highlights the AMAs health reform plans and criticises the Government for ditching its visionary health reform agenda after it dropped plans for a single funder, failed to deliver new hospital beds and removed a surgery guarantee.

AMA President Dr Andrew Pesce announces the 2011 AMA/ACOSH National Tobacco Scoreboard Award and the 2011 Dirty Astray Award at the AMA National Conference in May 2011.

Engagement and Leadership in Medicine

It is a great honour for Australia to host the World Medical Association and a wonderful opportunity for the AMA to co-host this Symposium on Medical Leadership.

Just as the WMA is a world leader in health policy and debate, the AMA and the NZMA play similar leadership roles on the domestic front.

General Practice - Quality, Capacity, Sustainability

Way back in 2001, the AMA was one of the first organisations to recognise the impending serious workforce shortage in General Practice in Australia.

We instantly took the GP shortage message to governments, the media and the Australian community.

At the start, nobody wanted to listen.  But we kept going with the message year after year after year.

And eventually the Government got the message.

There have been recent increases in the number of medical undergraduates to begin to reverse this shortage – if we can convince enough of them to pursue a career in general practice.

Clinicians driving change: Supporting patient care

It is a great pleasure to represent my medical colleagues at this very important and timely Conference.

The promise of e-health has been on the horizon for many years.

While the full potential of that promise is yet to be delivered, it feels like we are just a little bit closer to making e-health a reality. 

The very fact that we are here today discussing the practical steps we need to develop the personally controlled electronic health record shows how close we really are.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Dr Mukesh Haikerwal in pushing the e-health agenda.

Supporting the medical workforce

The topic of the Conference – ‘10 Years From Now’ – is very appropriate given the era of health reform in which we are all operating at the moment.

We do need to plan for the future.

This session is titled ‘Medical Practitioner Registration and Training – issues for CHA facilities in 2010 and beyond’.

An important part of the future of our health system is the medical workforce.

The National Immunisation Strategy and General Practice

The AMA is a strong advocate for immunisation and it welcomes the review of the National Immunisation Strategy.

It will provide an opportunity to develop a planning framework that will enable us to build on and enhance initiatives in immunisation and vaccine-preventable disease now and for the future.